Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis reunite after There Will Be Blood for period drama Phantom Thread.
In 1950s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a dressmaker extraordinaire, clothing countesses and foreign royalty in elegant gowns. When he meets Alma, a waitress at a local hotel, he falls for her, with Alma becoming his inspiration and eventually his lover. However, he finds that his routine is disrupted by the presence of this young woman in his house. He tries to mould Alma into his ideal, but Alma is not the pliant and compliant little mouse he thinks she is. An interesting power struggle ensues, where it's not entirely certain who has the upper hand...
Reynolds could quite easily have been a caricature, a fastidious little fusspot, but in the hands of a master like Daniel Day-Lewis, he becomes a much more complex character. Whilst his obsession with Alma and his desire to make her what he wants to be is occasionally uncomfortable, thankfully it never gets into Christian Grey territory (also because there's an equal amount of power play happening between the two characters; it's not all one-sided). There's a lot of humour to Day-Lewis' performance, and seeing this very exacting men gettiing rattled by the changes in his routine is amusing. If this is Day-Lewis' final film (as he has said it is), it's a strong performance to go out on.
Vicky Krieps (Hanna, A Most Wanted Man) is a revelation as Alma. Originally a clumsy, gauche young woman, she soon grows into a much more rounded figure; it's Alma who (in one of the film's funniest scenes) demands the return of a dress from a client who has disgraced herself. Similarly towards the end of the film, it's Alma's scheme that takes central stage. There's also a powerful argument between Reynolds and Alma, after Alma has made him a surprise dinner, in which she shows that she's not that quiet little girl any more. Even when the film takes a strange turn at the end, her performance remains magnetic.
I'll be honest, I was surprised to see Lesley Manville's name included in the Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominees; her inclusion at the BAFTAs wasn't so much of a surprise as she is a British actress and BAFTA do tend to favour home talent. Having now seen the film, I can confirm that my surprise was completely unfounded. She is superb as Reynolds' sister, business partner, and confidante Cyril. Ready with a waspish comment and fiercely protective of Reynolds, Cyril almost acts as his handler, ensuring that he can work undisturbed. There's also an intriguing ambiguity over Cyril's feelings towards Alma; after an uncomfortable first encounter, the relationship mellows somewhat to Cyril admitting she's 'fond' of her. Is there more to it than that? It's never explicitly stated which adds an interesting view to the character.
As you can imagine in a film about dressmaking and fashion, the costume design of the film is absolutely ravishing, for which designer Mark Bridges is to be commended. There's also some interesting sound design going on, where simple acts such as pouring a glass or water or buttering toast takes on an almost excruciating meaning.
My main issue with the film comes in the last five minutes, and yet again, it's another example of the ending undermining all the good work done before it. Reynolds' actions towards the end of the film just don't ring right with the character that's been set up before; I understand that characters change (and should) but it feels like a step too far. I may have misjudged or misread the ending, but to me, it just didn't work. A shame, because up to that point, I'd found myself quite enchanted by the film.
Phantom Thread is worth seeing for its sublime costumes and a trio of superlative performances, but perhaps don't pull at the threads too much lest the whole thing fall apart.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Tez
So last night saw the 85th Annual Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. This year's Annual Giving Out Of The Little Gold Naked Men (as the Razzies call it) was occasionally funny, occasionally touching and sometimes cringeworthy but nonetheless a great celebration of film.
Seth MacFarlane took up hosting duties for the first time this year and I was a little nonplussed by him, if I'm honest. His opening schtick was nearly twenty minutes long and felt like it, and a few nice touches aside (Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron dancing, Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt joining him for 'High Hopes') it wasn't great. Whilst the idea of having William Shatner come on as Captain Kirk and show MacFarlane destroying the Oscars might have sounded good in theory, in practice it didn't work so well. After he settled into the role, things improved but I don't expect the Academy to be beating his door down to host again. But I will say this: Sally Field is incredibly game for a laugh.
The theme for this year's ceremony was 'music in movies' and a lot of the incidental music was done well- I particularly liked the use of the iconic Jaws theme music as a kind of countdown to wrap the speeches up. I particularly loved the celebration of movie musicals, with Catherine Zeta-Jones vamping it up through a brilliant rendition of 'All That Jazz' from Chicago, Jennifer Hudson belting out 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going' from Dreamgirls and the cast of Les Miserables doing a medley of 'Suddenly', 'I Dreamed A Dream' and 'One Day More'. There were also storming performances by Shirley Bassey (singing 'Goldfinger' during the brilliant tribute to 50 Years Of James Bond) and Adele ('Skyfall', naturally). Barbra Streisand also gave a touching rendition of 'The Way We Were' and a personal tribute to the late Marvin Hamlisch at the end of the In Memoriam segment.
As usual, the guest presenters were very hit-and-miss: Paul Rudd and Melissa McCarthy were deeply, almost painfully, unfunny hosting Best Animated Short and Best Animated Feature, and the cast of The Avengers just about muddled through their awards (with Samuel L Jackson proving the best of them). Mark Wahlberg and Ted were pretty good hosting Sound Mixing and Sound Editing (even with Ted's expected Jewish joke) whilst Christopher Plummer was absolutely great presenting the Best Supporting Actress award. There was also a surprise co-presented for Best Picture... none other than First Lady Michelle Obama!
So, on to the awards themselves.
I was amazed to find my predictions were 100% right. Really wasn't expecting it. I did like that each of the acting winners acknowledged their fellow nominees; it shows a certain level of class, I think. All four nominees were well deserving of their honours. Jennifer Lawrence becomes the second youngest winner of the Best Actress Oscar (second only to Marlee Matlin who won for Children Of A Lesser God) and her speech was controlled and tight, despite her tripping on the stairs on the way up. Christoph Waltz has two Oscars from two nominations, which can't be at all bad. The Best Supporting Actor award was the first one awarded in the ceremony, so at least he got it over with early. Anne Hathaway's acceptance speech was lovely and Daniel Day-Lewis's was probably the best of the evening: how I would have loved to see him play Margaret Thatcher! Day-Lewis now has a unique place in Oscar history as the first actor to win three Best Lead Actor Oscars, and well-deserved it is too.
There was no real runaway winner this year. Life Of Pi won four Oscars (Best Director, Cinematography, Original Score and Visual Effects), with Argo (Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing) and Les Miserables (Best Supporting Actress, Sound Mixing and Make-Up) with three each. Lincoln, Django Unchained and Skyfall all walked away with two Oscars apiece. I was over the moon that 'Skyfall' won Best Original Song, and was pleased that Paperman won Best Animated Short- I caught that before Wreck-It Ralph recently and thought it was beautiful.
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Below is the full list of winners at the 85th Annual Academy Awards:
Best Motion Picture of the Year: Argo
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)
Best Director: Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio (Argo)
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: Brave
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year: Amour
Best Cinematography: Life of Pi
Best Editing: Argo
Best Production Design: Lincoln
Best Costume Design: Anna Karenina
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Les Misérables
Best Original Score: Life of Pi
Best Original Song: 'Skyfall'
Best Sound Mixing: Les Misérables
Best Sound Editing: Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty (tied)
Best Visual Effects: Life of Pi
Best Documentary (Feature): Searching for Sugar Man
Best Documentary (Short Subject): Inocente
Best Animated Short Film: Paperman
Best Live Action Short Film: Curfew
Congratulations to all winners!
Tez
A biopic of the Sixteenth President of the United States could cover a multitude of subjects, but Steven Spielberg's Lincoln focuses specifically on the President's efforts to get the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution (which outlawed slavery) passed by the House of Representatives. Please note, there is no vampire hunting here.
There is an absolutely towering performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln. Exuding great charisma and a quiet stoic dignity, Lincoln is a softly-spoken man absolutely determined to get the Thirteenth Amendment through. A scene towards the start of the film explains his position clearly: were the Civil War to end before the amendment was passed, any slaves freed by the Emancipation Proclamation may be re-enslaved. Every word is considered, thoughtful, intelligently spoken; it appears Lincoln was a formidable orator and a good storyteller and Day-Lewis rises to these challenges with aplomb.
The star-studded supporting cast all rise to the challenge set by Day-Lewis and all deliver sterling performances. Whilst the performances of Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln (steely, damaged, devoted) and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens (wry, determined, forthright) have also been rightly acclaimed during awards season, there are several equally as brilliant performances throughout. David Strathairn is great as Lincoln's Secretary of State William Seward who counsels Lincoln against pushing for the Thirteenth Amendment against the conclusion of the Civil War; similarly Hal Holbrook gives a nice turn as Republican politician Francis Preston Blair who tries to arrange an agreement between the Union and the Confederacy. There are nicely turned performances by James Spader and John Hawkes as two operatives used by Seward (and Lincoln) to procure the necessary votes to get the Amendment through.
There isn't a great deal of physical action in this film- the opening scene of the battlefield is short and the rest of the action takes place in darkened smoke-filled rooms as the verbal pyrotechnics begin. Screenwriter Tony Kushner crafts a strong, dense web of words for the actors to negotiate. This is a very talky piece, make no mistake, and- at two-and-a-half hours long- your attention span may well get tested. It could almost be a stage-play. But despite that (or maybe because of it), this is an intelligent piece of film-making. Spielberg's direction is, as always, assured and passionate; cinematographer Janusz Kaminski does some of his best work here and (as you would expect) John Williams' score is just sublime.
Despite the fact that you know the ending before you go in (spoiler alert: the Amendment is passed), the final vote of the House is a masterclass of filming as each name is called and asked to vote. It's beautifully done as Mary keeps tally for the votes left needed to win and the Union soldiers on the field receive the scores by telegraph. Meanwhile, the stoic Lincoln sits and waits in the White House.
This is my type of film. Well-written, expertly directed and wonderfully acted, it touches on an important moment of history and doesn't dumb it down. I have a slight niggle with the ending (as I didn't see it necessary for it to end on his assassination) but it's a purely personal matter and doesn't detract from the preceding two and a quarter hours of pure cinematic brilliance.
Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Tez
